Review by Gwyneth Bignell
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Published date: November 18, 2025
592 Pages, Paperback, $27.99 CAD
ISBN 9781665939799
Target Audience: Teens 12+
Genres: Horror stories, short stories, paranormal fiction, supernatural, thriller
“When I work at the machine, I turn my eyes to the sky, trying to remember that my time at the machine will pass.
Windy today. Heavy clouds blow past and melt in the corners of the world. I look to the windblown clouds, and
the great beams beyond.”
Mindworks, by Neal Shusterman, is a collection of short stories that intermingle sci-fi, horror, dystopian fiction, the supernatural, and even family drama. Its range is vast and eclectic including stories about various subjects from a dolphin politician, to a spray-painting teen in a love-triangle, to the begrudging “living dead,” and, somehow, it all works. The collection weaves its way playfully and poignantly through mature topics for teens including alienation, grief, aging, and anger. Most notably though, Shusterman’s writing approaches children and teens as individuals with rich inner imaginative and emotional lives. He takes his audience seriously regardless of his readers’ age, which I appreciate. It gave me the impression that while this book is written with teens in mind, adults might enjoy it in equal measure.
The book is divided into seven parts, including one section featuring reappearances of characters from Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe series. Each section lays heavy emphasis on the importance of community and chosen family during challenging and lonely times in life. The book begins with a section titled, “Forces of Nature” and is followed by; “Angels, Demons, Monsters, and a Tree,” “The Wheel of Destiny,” “Attics Basements, Windows, and Walls,” “The Living, the Dead, and the Undecided,” “I Am Not Myself Today,” and “You Reap What You Sow.” Each section has a unique theme, though the relationship between nature and humanity is a common thread throughout. I left each story feeling as though the rollercoaster of pubescent emotions had been covered: angst, sorrow, loneliness, self-loathing, and arrogance. I feel that reading this book could be the cure for any one of them.
The tone of the narrators for each story oscillates between short and glib in tales like “A Unity of [Purpose]” and “Dead Letter,” to a more serious and reverent voice, as seen in “Obsidian Sky” and “Retaining Walls.” In spite of the times where Shusterman employs clichés, his unique authorial voice still shines through, and his characters remain relatable and fully realized. The characters managed to gain my sympathy and investment even though I was only with them for a handful of pages each. Shusterman also plays with form, like in “Mail Merge,” where he writes the story from the perspective of people in a chat room. The variety of content and form makes Mindworks an engaging and exciting read.
If you liked Michael Grant’s Gone series, you will also enjoy this collection. Both books include mysterious disappearances of children, illustrate the absurdity and occasional violence of nature, and feature monsters who are hybrids between human and animal. Some stories even venture into Franzenien territory. The familial chaos and complexities as seen in “Smells Like Kafka” and “Non-Playable Character” reminded me of Jonathan Franzen’s The Corrections, but in an age-appropriate way.
Neal Shusterman’s Mindworks not only provides tools to navigate real-world grown-up problems for teens who are transitioning into adulthood but does so with humour and curiosity.
Gwyneth Bignell is a multi-media journalist from Edmonton, Alberta. She is currently doing her masters in Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia.
YOUNG ADULTING 